Looper A sci-fi thriller set in 2044, it uses the story of a hit man (who disposes of people from the future sent back to the past) for a reflection on morals and technology. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis as the same character in different stages of life. Rated R. 119 minutes.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower In writer-director Stephen Chbosky's beautifully painful adaptation of his own novel, a suffering, introverted ninth-grader (Logan Lerman) falls in with a tribe of offbeat seniors. The film depicts the loneliness, anxiety and all-out quivering mess of adolescence in a manner not often seen since John Hughes' heyday. With Ezra Miller and Emma Watson. Rated PG-13. 103 minutes.

- Amy Biancolli

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